# Four and Four explained — Les Misérables

> Chapter companion for Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.

## What happens

The chapter describes a pleasure trip to the countryside taken by four young couples, including Tholomyès, Fantine, and their friends. It paints a vivid picture of their joyful, carefree day in Saint-Cloud, highlighting the innocence and beauty of Fantine amidst the revelry.

## Themes in this chapter

### Love and Compassion

The chapter portrays the innocent, joyful love of youth, particularly through Fantine's relationship with Tholomyès and the group's shared happiness.

### The Human Condition and Fate

The fleeting nature of happiness and the contrast between the carefree present and the inevitable hardships to come are subtly evoked.

## Character check-ins

### Fantine

Described as a joy to behold, with a blend of innocence and modesty, she is the central figure of the outing, embodying both beauty and chastity.

### Tholomyès

Dominates the group with his joviality and dictatorial air, wearing fashionable trousers and smoking a cigar, treated with veneration by the others.

### Favorite

The oldest of the young women, she presides over the merrymaking with a spirited, faun-like energy and writes the invitation for the outing.

### Zéphine

One of the four young women, she and Dahlia are described as beautiful and coquettish, with hair dressed in rolls, adopting English poses.

### Dahlia

Completes the pair with Zéphine, both clinging to each other out of coquetry, with melancholy dawning in their demeanor.

## Key lines

> It is hard nowadays to picture to one’s self what a pleasure-trip of students and grisettes to the country was like, forty-five years ago.

It is difficult today to imagine the kind of country outing that students and working-class young women enjoyed forty-five years ago.

_Sets the historical context, emphasizing the change in leisure activities over time._

> Fantine was beautiful, without being too conscious of it.

Fantine possessed a natural beauty that she herself was largely unaware of.

_Highlights Fantine's innate grace and modesty._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se/chapters/iii-four-and-four
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/les_miserables_se/chapters